The school was founded by Father Edward Sorin, CSC, who was also its first president. Today, many Holy Cross priests continue to work for the university, including as its president. It was established as an all-male institution on November 26, 1842, on land donated by the Bishop of Vincennes. The university first enrolled women undergraduates in 1972. As of 2013[update] about 48 percent of the student body was female.[6] Notre Dame's Catholic character is reflected in its explicit commitment to the Catholic faith, numerous ministries funded by the school, and the architecture around campus. The university is consistently ranked one of the top universities in the United States and as a major global university.

The university today is organized into five colleges and one professional school, and its graduate program has 15 master's and 26 doctoral degree programs.[7][8] Over 80% of the university's 8,000 undergraduates live on campus in one of 29 single-sex residence halls, each of which fields teams for more than a dozen intramural sports, and the university counts approximately 120,000 alumni.[9]

The Very Rev. Edward Sorin, founder of the University, arrived at Notre Dame in 1842

In 1842, the Bishop of Vincennes, Célestine Guynemer de la Hailandière, offered land to Father Edward Sorin of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, on the condition that he build a college in two years.[11] Sorin arrived on the site with eight Holy Cross brothers on November 26, 1842, and began the school using Father Stephen Badin's old log chapel. They immediately acquired two students and set about building additions to the campus.

Notre Dame began as a primary and secondary school, but soon received its official college charter from the Indiana General Assembly on January 15, 1844.[12] Under the charter the school is officially named the University of Notre Dame du Lac (University of Our Lady of the Lake).[13] Because the university was originally only for male students, the female-only Saint Mary's College was founded by the Sisters of the Holy Cross near Notre Dame in 1844.[14]

The University's historic center comprising the Basilica, the Golden Dome and Washington Hall, were built in the early years of the University

The first degrees from the college were awarded in 1849.[15] The university was expanded with new buildings to accommodate more students and faculty.[12] With each new president, new academic programs were offered and new buildings built to accommodate them. The original Main Building built by Sorin just after he arrived was replaced by a larger "Main Building" in 1865, which housed the university's administration, classrooms, and dormitories. Beginning in 1873, a library collection was started by Father Lemonnier. By 1879 it had grown to ten thousand volumes that were housed in the Main Building.

This Main Building, and the library collection, was destroyed by a fire in April 1879, and rebuilt before the next school year.[16] The library collection was also rebuilt and stayed housed in the new Main Building for years afterwards.[17] Around the time of the fire, a Music Hall was opened. Eventually becoming known as Washington Hall, it hosted plays and musical acts put on by the school.[18] By 1880, a science program was established at the university, and a Science Hall was built in 1883. The hall housed multiple classrooms and science labs needed for early research at the university.[19] By 1890, individual residence halls were built to house the increasing number of students.[20] William J. Hoynes (1846–1919) was dean of the law school 1883-1919, and when its new building was opened shortly after his death it was renamed in his honor.[21]

John Zahm C.S.C. (1851–1921) became the Holy Cross Provincial for the United States (1896–1906), with overall supervision of the university. He tried to transform Notre Dame into a great university, erecting buildings and added to the campus art gallery and library, and amassing what became a famous Dante collection. His term was not renewed because of fears he had expanded Notre Dame too quickly and had run the Holy Cross order into serious debt.[21]

In 1919 Father James Burns became president of Notre Dame, and in three years he produced an academic revolution that brought the school up to national standards by adopting the elective system and starting the abandonment of the traditional scholastic and classical emphasis.[22][23] By contrast, the Jesuit colleges, bastions of academic conservatism, were reluctant to move to a system of electives. Their graduates were shut out of Harvard Law School for that reason.[24]

Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., (1917-2015) served as president for 35 years (1952–87) of dramatic transformations. In that time the annual operating budget rose by a factor of 18 from $9.7 million to $176.6 million, and the endowment by a factor of 40 from $9 million to $350 million, and research funding by a factor of 20 from $735,000 to $15 million. Enrollment nearly doubled from 4,979 to 9,600, faculty more than doubled 389 to 950, and degrees awarded annually doubled from 1,212 to 2,500.[25]

Hesburgh is also credited with transforming the face of Notre Dame by making it a coeducational institution. In the mid-1960s Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College developed a co-exchange program whereby several hundred students took classes not offered at their home institution, an arrangement that added undergraduate women to a campus that already had a few women in the graduate schools. Nearly a third of accepted Notre Dame students chose not to enroll because of its single-sex status,[citation needed] and a 1968 poll indicated that nearly three-fourths of all Notre Dame students considered transferring to a coeducational school. After extensive debate, merging with St. Mary's was rejected, primarily because of the differential in faculty qualifications and pay scales. "In American college education," explained Rev. Charles E. Sheedy, C.S.C., Notre Dame's Dean of Arts and Letters, "certain features formerly considered advantageous and enviable are now seen as anachronistic and out of place.... In this environment of diversity, the integration of the sexes is a normal and expected aspect, replacing separatism." Thomas Blantz, C.S.C., Notre Dame's Vice President of Student Affairs, added that coeducation "opened up a whole other pool of very bright students."[26] Two of the male residence halls were converted for the newly admitted female students that first year,[27][28] while two others were converted for the next school year.[29][30] In 1971 Mary Ann Proctor the first woman undergraduate transferred from St. Mary's College. In 1972 the first women to graduate with a bachelor's degree in marketing. was Sienko, Angela(October 2007).[31]

In 18 years under President Edward Malloy, C.S.C., (1987–2005), there was a rapid growth in the school's reputation, faculty, and resources. He increased the faculty by more than 500 professors; the academic quality of the student body has improved dramatically, with the average SAT score rising from 1240 to 1360; the number of minority students more than doubled; the endowment grew from $350 million to more than $3 billion; the annual operating budget rose from $177 million to more than $650 million; and annual research funding improved from $15 million to more than $70 million. Notre Dame's most recent capital campaign raised $1.1 billion, far exceeding its goal of $767 million, and is the largest in the history of Catholic higher education.[32]

In 1999, the trustees of Notre Dame University in the USA came into conflict with faculty and students when they rejected a proposal to ban discrimination against homosexuals on campus, arguing this was in line with church teaching: "Whereas in a secular environment this is seen as a simple matter of civil rights, that's not the way it's viewed through the Catholic prism". Students reacted by calling hunger strikes and demonstrations.[33]

Since 2005, Notre Dame has been led by John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the 17th president of the university.[34] Jenkins took over the position from Edward "Monk" Malloy, CSC, on July 1, 2005.[35] In his inaugural address, Jenkins described his goals of making the university a leader in research that recognizes ethics and building the connection between faith and studies.[36]

Historic Washington Hall on the Main Quadrangle, popularly termed the "God Quad".

Development of the campus began in the spring of 1843, when Father Sorin and some of his congregation built the "Old College," a building used for dormitories, a bakery, and a classroom. A year later, after an architect arrived, a small "Main Building" was built allowing for the launch of the college.[40]

The Main building burned down in 1879, and it was immediately replaced with the current one. It was topped with the Golden Dome, that today has become Notre Dame's most distinguishable feature. Close to the Main Building stands Washington Hall (University of Notre Dame), a theater that was built in 1881 has since then been used for theatrical and musical representation.

Because of its Catholic identity, a number of religious buildings stand on campus. The Old College building has become one of two seminaries on campus run by the Congregation of Holy Cross.[41] The current Basilica of the Sacred Heart is located on the spot of Fr. Sorin's original church, which became too small for the growing college. It is built in French Revival style and it is decorated by stained glass windows imported directly from France. The interior was painted by Luigi Gregori, an Italian painter invited by Fr. Sorin to be artist in residence. The Basilica also features a bell tower with a carillon. Inside the church there are also sculptures by Ivan Mestrovic. The Grotto Our Lady of Lourdes, which was built in 1896, is a replica of the original in Lourdes, France.[42] It is very popular among student and alumni as a place of prayer and meditation, and it is considered one of the most beloved spots on campus.[43]

The Golden Dome, built by Sorin, has become the symbol of the University

A Science Hall was built in 1883 under the direction of Fr. Zahm, but in 1950 it was converted to a student union building and named LaFortune Center, after Joseph LaFortune, an oil executive from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as "LaFortune" or "LaFun," it is a 4-story building of 83,000 square feet[44] that provides the Notre Dame community with a meeting place for social, recreational, cultural, and educational activities.[45] LaFortune employs 35 part-time student staff and 29 full-time non-student staff and has an annual budget of $1.2 million.[44] Many businesses, services, and divisions of The Office of Student Affairs[45] are found within. The building also houses restaurants from national restaurant chains.[46]

Autumn on the God Quad, formally known as the Main Quadrangle

Since the construction of its oldest buildings, the university's physical plant has grown substantially. Over the years 29 residence halls have been built to accommodate students and each has been constructed with its own chapel. Many academic building were added together with a system of libraries, the most prominent of which is the Theodore Hesburgh Library, built in 1963 and today containing almost 4 million books. Since 2004, several buildings have been added, including the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center,[47] the Guglielmino Complex,[48] and the Jordan Hall of Science.[49] Additionally, a new residence for men, Duncan Hall, was begun on March 8, 2007,[50] and began accepting residents for the Fall 2008 semester. Ryan Hall was completed and began housing undergraduate women in the fall of 2009. A new engineering building, Stinson-Remick Hall, a new combination Center for Social Concerns/Institute for Church Life building, Geddes Hall, and a law school addition have recently been completed as well.[51] Additionally the new hockey arena opened in the fall of 2011. The Stayer Center for Executive Education, which houses the Mendoza College of Business Executive Education Department opened in March 2013 just South of the Mendoza College of Business building. Because of its long athletic tradition, the university features also many building dedicated to sport. The most famous is Notre Dame Stadium,[52] home of the Fighting Irish football team; it has been renovated several times and today it can hold more than 80 thousand people. Prominent venues include also the Edmund P. Joyce Center, with indoor basketball and volleyball courts, and the Compton Family Ice Arena,[53] a two-rink facility dedicated to Hockey. Also, there are many outdoor fields, as the Frank Eck Stadium for baseball.[54]

Legends of Notre Dame (commonly referred to as Legends) is a music venue, public house, and restaurant located on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, just 100 yards south of Notre Dame Stadium. The former Alumni Senior Club[55] opened its doors the first weekend in September 2003[56] after a $3.5 million renovation and transformed into the all-ages student hang-out that currently exists. Legends is made up of two parts: The Restaurant and Alehouse and the nightclub.

The University of Notre Dame has made being a sustainability leader an integral part of their mission, creating the Office of Sustainability in 2008 to achieve a number of goals in the areas of power generation, design and construction, waste reduction, procurement, food services, transportation, and water.[57]As of 2012[update] four building construction projects were pursuing LEED Certified status and three were pursuing LEED Silver.[58] Notre Dame's dining services sources 40% of its food locally and offers sustainably-caught seafood as well as many organic, fair-trade, and vegan options.[59] On the Sustainable Endowments Institute's College Sustainability Report Card 2010, University of Notre Dame received a "B" grade.[60] The university also houses the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Father Gustavo Gutierrez, the founder of Liberation Theology is a current faculty member.

The University owns several centers around the world used for international studies and research, conferences abroad, and alumni support.[61] The university has had a presence in London, England since 1968. Since 1998, its London Centre has been based in the former United University Club at 1, Suffolk Street in Trafalgar Square. The Center enables the Colleges of Arts & Letters, Business Administration, Science, Engineering and the Law School to develop their own programs in London, as well as hosting conferences and symposia.[62] Other Global Gateways are located in Beijing, Chicago, Dublin, Jerusalem and Rome.

Until 1967 Notre Dame had been governed directly by the leadership of Holy Cross order. Under the presidency of Rev. Theodore Hesburgh two groups, the Board of Fellows and the Board of Trustees were established to govern the University.[63] The Fellows are a group of six Holy Cross religious and six lay members who have final say over the operation of the university. The Fellows vote on potential trustees and sign off on all major decisions by that body.

The Trustees select the president from the United States Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. In addition to the president, these groups help to maintain the bylaws and elect other officers of the university.[64] The director of the executive branch of the University is the President of the University of Notre Dame. The current and 17th president is Fr. John I. Jenkins who was elected in 2005.

Finally, the provost of the university, as of 2012[update] Thomas Burish, works under the president to oversee many of the academic activities and functions of the university.[65]

The College of Arts and Letters was established as the university's first college in 1842 with the first degrees given in 1849.[66] The university's first academic curriculum was modeled after the JesuitRatio Studiorum from Saint Louis University.[67] Today the college, housed in O'Shaughnessy Hall,[68] includes 20 departments in the areas of fine arts, humanities, and social sciences, and awards Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in 33 majors, making it the largest of the university's colleges. There are around 2,500 undergraduates and 750 graduates enrolled in the college.[69]

The College of Science was established at the university in 1865 by president Father Patrick Dillon. Dillon's scientific courses were six years of work, including higher-level mathematics courses.[70] Today the college, housed in the newly built Jordan Hall of Science,[71] includes over 1,200 undergraduates in six departments of study – biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, pre-professional studies, and applied and computational mathematics and statistics (ACMS) – each awarding Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees.[72] According to university statistics, its science pre-professional program has one of the highest acceptance rates to medical school of any university in the United States.[73]

Bond Hall, house of the school of Architecture

The School of Architecture was established in 1899,[74] although degrees in architecture were first awarded by the university in 1898.[75] Today the school, housed in Bond Hall,[76] offers a five-year undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree. All undergraduate students study the third year of the program in Rome.[77]

The College of Engineering was established in 1920,[78] however, early courses in civil and mechanical engineering were a part of the College of Science since the 1870s.[79] Today the college, housed in the Fitzpatrick, Cushing, and Stinson-Remick Halls of Engineering,[80] includes five departments of study – aerospace and mechanical engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering, civil engineering and geological sciences, computer science and engineering, and electrical engineering – with eight B.S. degrees offered. Additionally, the college offers five-year dual degree programs with the Colleges of Arts and Letters and of Business awarding additional B.A. and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees, respectively.[81]

The Mendoza College of Business was established by Father John Francis O'Hara in 1921, although a foreign commerce program was launched in 1917.[82] Today the college offers degrees in accountancy, finance, management, and marketing and enrolls over 1,600 students.[83] In the 2010 Bloomberg/Businessweek Undergraduate Business School Rankings, The Mendoza College of Business was ranked as the top overall school.[citation needed]

The Hesburgh Library, which is the center of the campus' intellectual life.

All of Notre Dame's undergraduate students are a part of one of the five undergraduate colleges at the school or are in the First Year of Studies program. The First Year of Studies program was established in 1962 to guide incoming freshmen in their first year at the school before they have declared a major. Each student is given an academic advisor from the program who helps them to choose classes that give them exposure to any major in which they are interested.[84] The program also includes a Learning Resource Center which provides time management, collaborative learning, and subject tutoring.[85] This program has been recognized previously, by U.S. News & World Report, as outstanding.[86]

The university first offered graduate degrees, in the form of a Master of Arts (MA), in the 1854–1855 academic year. The program expanded to include Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Master of Civil Engineering in its early stages of growth, before a formal graduate school education was developed with a thesis not required to receive the degrees. This changed in 1924 with formal requirements developed for graduate degrees, including offering Doctorate (PhD) degrees.[87] Today each of the five colleges offer graduate education. Most of the departments from the College of Arts and Letters offer PhD programs, while a professional Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program also exists. All of the departments in the College of Science offer PhD programs, except for the Department of Pre-Professional Studies. The School of Architecture offers a Master of Architecture, while each of the departments of the College of Engineering offer PhD programs. The College of Business offers multiple professional programs including MBA and Master of Science in Accountancy programs. It also operates facilities in Chicago and Cincinnati for its executive MBA program.[88] Additionally, the Alliance for Catholic Education program[89] offers a Master of Education program where students study at the university during the summer and teach in Catholic elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools across the Southern United States for two school years.[90]

In addition to the programs offered by each of the colleges, the Notre Dame Law School offers a professional program for students. Established in 1869, Notre Dame was the first Catholic university in the United States to have a law program.[91] Today the program has consistently ranked among the top law schools in the nation according to US News and World Report.[92] The Law School grants the professional Juris Doctor degree as well as the graduate LL.M. and Doctor of Juridical Science degrees.[88] Currently, the law school is experiencing an expansion that will double the size of its learning space and is expected to be in operation for the Spring 2009 semester. It is the only accredited American law school to offer a full year of study abroad in London.[citation needed]

The Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame is dedicated to research, education and outreach on the causes of violent conflict and the conditions for sustainable peace. It offers PhD, Master's, and undergraduate degrees in peace studies. It was founded in 1986 through the donations of Joan B. Kroc, the widow of McDonald's owner Ray Kroc. The institute was inspired by the vision of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh CSC, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. The institute has contributed to international policy discussions about peace building practices.[93]

Though Notre Dame does not have a medical school of its own, it hosts a regional campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine,[94] where Indiana University medical students may spend the first two years of their medical education before transferring to the main medical campus at IUPUI.

In 2014, Notre Dame announced plans to establish the Donald R. Keough School of Global Affairs, a professional school focused on the study of global government, human rights, and other areas of global social and political policy. The creation of the school is funded by a $50 million gift from Donald Keough and Marilyn Keough and will be housed in Jenkins Hall on Debartolo Quad. The school will open in August of 2017. [95]

The library system of the university is divided between the main library and each of the colleges and schools. The main building is the 14-story Theodore M. Hesburgh Library, completed in 1963, which is the third building to house the main collection of books.[96] The front of the library is adorned with the Word of Life mural designed by artist Millard Sheets. This mural is popularly known as "Touchdown Jesus" because of its proximity to Notre Dame Stadium and Jesus' arms appearing to make the signal for a touchdown.[97][98] Another piece of artwork associated with the Library is the statue of Moses by Joseph Turkalj. This statue, popularly known as "First Down Moses" because of the manner in which his right arm is outstretched with his right index finger in the air, is at a side entrance to the building.[citation needed]

The library system also includes branch libraries for Architecture, Chemistry & Physics, Engineering, Law, and Mathematics as well as information centers in the Mendoza College of Business, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and a slide library in O'Shaughnessy Hall.[99] The library system holds over three million volumes, was the single largest university library in the world upon its completion,[100] and remains one of the 100 largest libraries in the country.[101]

In 2014–2015, Notre Dame ranked 16th overall among "national universities" in the United States in U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges 2015.[109] In 2014, USA Today ranked Notre Dame tenth overall for American universities based on data from College Factual.[110]Forbes.com's America's Best Colleges ranks Notre Dame 12th among colleges in the United States for 2012.[111]U.S. News & World Report also lists Notre Dame Law School as 22nd overall.[92]BusinessWeek ranks Mendoza College of Business undergraduate school as 1st overall.[112] It ranks the MBA program as 20th overall. Additionally, The Washington Monthly ranked the university 13th nationally in its 2006 edition.[113] The Philosophical Gourmet Report ranks Notre Dame's graduate philosophy program as 15th nationally,[114] while ARCHITECT Magazine ranked the undergraduate architecture program as 12th nationally.[115] Additionally, the study abroad program ranks sixth in highest participation percentage in the nation, with 57.6% of students choosing to study abroad in 17 countries.[116] According to payscale.com, undergraduate alumni of University of Notre Dame have a mid-career median salary $110,000, making it the 24th highest among colleges and universities in the United States. The median starting salary of $55,300 ranked 58th in the same peer group.[117]

Father Joseph Carrier, C.S.C. was Director of the Science Museum and the Library and Professor of Chemistry and Physics until 1874. Carrier taught that scientific research and its promise for progress were not antagonistic to the ideals of intellectual and moral culture endorsed by the Church. One of Carrier's students was Father John Augustine Zahm (1851–1921) who was made Professor and Co-Director of the Science Department at age 23 and by 1900 was a nationally prominent scientist and naturalist. Zahm was active in the Catholic Summer School movement, which introduced Catholic laity to contemporary intellectual issues. His book Evolution and Dogma (1896) defended certain aspects of evolutionary theory as true, and argued, moreover, that even the great Church teachers Thomas Aquinas and Augustine taught something like it. The intervention of Irish American Catholics in Rome prevented Zahm's censure by the Vatican. In 1913, Zahm and former President Theodore Roosevelt embarked on a major expedition through the Amazon.[120]

The Lobund Institute grew out of pioneering research in germ-free-life which began in 1928. This area of research originated in a question posed by Pasteur as to whether animal life was possible without bacteria. Though others had taken up this idea, their research was short lived and inconclusive. Lobund was the first research organization to answer definitively, that such life is possible and that it can be prolonged through generations. But the objective was not merely to answer Pasteur's question but also to produce the germ free animal as a new tool for biological and medical research. This objective was reached and for years Lobund was a unique center for the study and production of germ free animals and for their use in biological and medical investigations. Today the work has spread to other universities. In the beginning it was under the Department of Biology and a program leading to the master's degree accompanied the research program. In the 1940s Lobund achieved independent status as a purely research organization and in 1950 was raised to the status of an Institute. In 1958 it was brought back into the Department of Biology as integral part of that department, but with its own program leading to the degree of PhD in Gnotobiotics.[123]

Richard T. Sullivan taught English from 1936 to 1974 and published six novels, dozens of short stories, and various other efforts. He was known as a regional writer and a Catholic spokesman.[124]

Frank O'Malley was an English professor during the 1930s–1960s. Influenced by Jacques Maritain, John U. Nef, and others, O'Malley developed a concept of Christian philosophy that was a fundamental element in his thought. Through his course "Modern Catholic Writers" O'Malley introduced generations of undergraduates to Gabriel Marcel, Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, Sigrid Undset, Paul Claudel, and Gerard Manley Hopkins.[125]

The Review of Politics was founded in 1939 by Gurian, modeled after German Catholic journals. It quickly emerged as part of an international Catholic intellectual revival, offering an alternative vision to positivist philosophy. For 44 years, the Review was edited by Gurian, Matthew Fitzsimons, Frederick Crosson, and Thomas Stritch. Intellectual leaders included Gurian, Jacques Maritain, Frank O'Malley, Leo Richard Ward, F. A. Hermens, and John U. Nef. It became a major forum for political ideas and modern political concerns, especially from a Catholic and scholastic tradition.[126]

Kenneth Sayre has explored the history of the Philosophy department. He stresses the abandonment of official Thomism to the philosophical pluralism of the 1970s, with attention to the issue of being Catholic. He pays special attention to the charismatic personalities of Ernan McMullin and Ralph McInerny, key leaders of the department in the 1960s and 1970s.[127]

The rise of Hitler and other dictators in the 1930s forced numerous Catholic intellectuals to flee Europe; president John O'Hara brought many to Notre Dame. From Germany came Anton-Hermann Chroust (1907–1982) in classics and law,[128] and Waldemar Gurian a German Catholic intellectual of Jewish descent. Positivism dominated American intellectual life in the 1920s onward but in marked contrast, Gurian received a German Catholic education and wrote his doctoral dissertation under Max Scheler.[129]Ivan Meštrović (1883–1962), a renowned sculptor, brought Croatian culture to campus, 1955–62.[130]Yves Simon (1903–61), brought to ND in the 1940s the insights of French studies in the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of philosophy; his own teacher Jacques Maritain (1882–73) was a frequent visitor to campus.[131]

The exiles developed a distinctive emphasis on the evils of totalitarianism. For example the political science courses of Gerhart Niemeyer (1907–97) discussed communist ideology and were particularly accessible to his students. He came to ND in 1955, and was a frequent contributor to the National Review and other conservative magazines.[132]

Notre Dame's financial endowment was started in the early 1920s by university president James Burns, and increased to US$7 million by 1952 when Hesburgh became president. By the 1980s it reached $150 million, and in 2000, it returned a record 57.9% investment.[142] For the 2007 fiscal year, the endowment had grown to approximately $6.5 billion, putting the university in the top-15 largest endowments in the country.[143] As of May 2014, Notre Dame's endowment was valued at $9 billion.[6]

In 2009 the Notre Dame student body consisted of 11,733 students, with 8,371 undergraduates and 3,362 graduate and professional students.[3] Around 21–24% of students are children of alumni,[144] and although 37% of students come from the Midwestern United States, the student body represents all 50 states and 100 countries.[3] As of March 2007[update]The Princeton Review ranked the school as the fifth highest 'dream school' for parents to send their children.[145] As of March 2015[update] The Princeton Review ranked Notre Dame as the ninth highest.[146] The school has been previously criticized for its lack of diversity,[147] and The Princeton Review ranks the university highly among schools at which "Alternative Lifestyles [are] Not an Alternative."[148] It has also been commended by some diversity oriented publications; Hispanic Magazine in 2004 ranked the university ninth on its list of the top–25 colleges for Latinos,[149] and the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education recognized the university in 2006 for raising enrollment of African-American students.[150] With 6,000 participants, the university's intramural sports program was named in 2004 by Sports Illustrated as the best program in the country,[151] while in 2007 The Princeton Review named it as the top school where "Everyone Plays Intramural Sports."[152] The annual Bookstore Basketball tournament is the largest outdoor five-on-five tournament in the world with over 700 teams participating each year,[153] while the Notre Dame Men's Boxing Club hosts the annual Bengal Bouts tournament that raises money for the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh.[154]

The strictly measured federal graduation rate for athletes was 86% for freshmen who entered between 2000 and 2002. This is one of the highest in the country.[155]

About 80% of undergraduates and 20% of graduate students live on campus.[3] The majority of the graduate students on campus live in one of four graduate housing complexes on campus, while all on-campus undergraduates live in one of the 29 residence halls.[156] Because of the religious affiliation of the university, all residence halls are single-sex, with 15 male dorms and 14 female dorms.[157] The university maintains a visiting policy (known as parietal hours) for those students who live in dormitories, specifying times when members of the opposite sex are allowed to visit other students' dorm rooms; however, all residence halls have 24-hour social spaces for students regardless of gender. Many residence halls have at least one nun and/or priest as a resident. There are no traditional social fraternities or sororities at the university, but a majority of students live in the same residence hall for all four years. Some intramural sports are based on residence hall teams, where the university offers the only non-military academy program of full-contact intramural American football.[158] At the end of the intramural season, the championship game is played on the field in Notre Dame Stadium.

The university is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross (Latin: Congregatio a Sancta Cruce, abbreviated postnominals: "CSC"). More than 93% of students identify as Christian, with over 80% of the total being Catholic.[159] The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is on campus and each residence hall has a chapel. Collectively, Catholic Mass is celebrated over 100 times per week on campus.[158] There are multitudes of religious statues and artwork around campus, most prominent of which are the statue of Mary on the Main Building, the Notre Dame Grotto, and the Word of Life mural on Hesburgh Library depicting Christ as a teacher. Additionally, every classroom displays a crucifix.[147] There are many religious clubs at the school, including Council #1477 of the Knights of Columbus (KOC), Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), Jewish Club, Muslim Student Association, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, The Mormon Club, and many more. The Notre Dame KofC are known for being the first collegiate council of KofC, operating a charitable concession stand during every home football game and owning their own building on campus which can be used as a cigar lounge.[160]

The University was founded by a group of Catholic missionary priests and brothers from France, members of the Congregation of Holy Cross. The land where they founded the school was donated to them by the Bishop of Vincennes, Indiana. They saw a large part of their early mission to be caring for and evangelizing the local Potawatomi tribes. Upon arrival on the lake shore in the cold of winter, they dedicated their new school and all their endeavors to the Virgin Mary under the name of Notre Dame du Lac, which is French for Our Lady of the Lake.

This Catholic mission of the Congregation, its schools at the site, and their successors has shaped the campus and the university. Fifty-seven chapels are located throughout the campus.

While religious affiliation is not a criterion for admission, approximately 80% of undergraduates enrolled self-identify as Catholic. There are many Catholic clubs, organizations, and ministries on campus. There is a large campus ministry program and many volunteer opportunities. There is no compulsory participation in any religious liturgies. Students and clubs of other religions and Christian denominations are welcomed and supported.

Nearly every residence hall has a priest in residence. Every residence hall (and many academic buildings) contains a chapel, where Sunday and daily masses are celebrated during the school year. One dorm is named after a saint (Saint Edward). Sunday and daily masses as well as daily confessions are held in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in the center of campus.

The Golden Dome of the Main Building with the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in the foreground.

Architecturally, the school has a Catholic character. Atop the Main Building's gold dome is a golden statue of the Virgin Mary. Immediately in front of the Main Building and facing it, is a copper statue of Christ with arms upraised with the legend "Venite Ad Me Omnes" ("Come to me, all you"; Matthew 11:28a). Next to the Main Building is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Immediately behind the basilica is the Grotto, a Marian place of prayer and reflection. It is a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, France where the Virgin Mary reputedly appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. At the end of the main drive (and in a direct line that connects through 3 statues and the Gold Dome), is a simple, modern stone statue of Mary. Behind her approximately 1,000 feet (304.8 m) is a statue of the founder of the school, Edward Sorin.

The 14-story Hesburgh Library sports a 134-foot-tall (41 m) stone mosaic on its southern face of Christ surrounded by the Apostles and notable scholarly saints and doctors of the Church. This mosaic is entitled "The Word of Life," but is affectionately referred to as 'Touchdown Jesus' because of Christ's upraised arms and the visibility of the mosaic from the stadium through the uprights of the northern endzone. Next to the library is Ivan Meštrović's large bronze statue of Moses with finger upraised (affectionately known as 'Firstdown Moses').

The university is the major seat of the Congregation of Holy Cross (albeit not its official headquarters, which are in Rome). Its main seminary, Moreau Seminary, is located on the campus across St. Joseph lake from the Main Building. Old College, the oldest building on campus and located near the shore of St. Mary lake, houses undergraduate seminarians. Retired priests and brothers reside in Fatima House (a former retreat center), Holy Cross House, as well as Columba Hall near the Grotto. Until the 1970s, many of the support staff were nuns and monks.

The university through the Moreau Seminary has ties to theologian Frederick Buechner. While not Catholic, Buechner has praised writers from Notre Dame and Moreau Seminary created a Buechner Prize for Preaching.

The university supports many Church-related organizations and ministries.

The university has a highly regarded theology program, both undergraduate and graduate, with many scholars, including Lawrence Cunningham, John Cavadini, and Gary Anderson. The chair of the department, John Cavadini, was appointed to the International Theological Commission by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010; Prof. Brian Daley, SJ, received the Ratzinger Prize in Theology in 2012.

University by-laws require that the President of the University be a priest of the United States Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Until 1967, when governance was transferred to a lay board of trustees, the university was entirely governed by the leadership of the Holy Cross order.

Although the faculty was well over 85% Catholic before 1970, search practices have broadened. In recent years about half the new faculty hires have been Catholics, and Catholics now comprise 52% of the faculty.[161]

However, in a policy statement the University declares that "the Catholic identity of the University depends upon ... the continuing presence of a predominant number of Catholic intellectuals" on the faculty. As the provost has explained, the aim is "to have a majority of faculty who are Catholic, who understand the nature of the religion, who can be living role models, who can talk with students about issues outside the classroom and can infuse values into what they do."[162]

As at most other universities, Notre Dame's students run a number of news media outlets. The nine student-run outlets include three newspapers, both a radio and television station, and several magazines and journals. The newspapers have varying publication interests, with The Observer published daily and mainly reporting university and other news.[167]The Observer is staffed by students from both Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College, the women's college located nearby. Unlike Scholastic and The Dome,The Observer is an independent publication and does not have a faculty advisor or any editorial oversight from the University. In 1987, when some students believed that The Observer began to show a conservative bias, a liberal newspaper, Common Sense was published. Likewise, in 2003, when other students believed that the paper showed a liberal bias, the conservative paper Irish Rover went into production. Neither paper is published as often as The Observer; however, all three are distributed to all students.[168]

The television station, NDtv, grew from one show in 2002 to a full 24-hour channel with original programming by September 2006.[169]WSND-FM serves the student body and larger South Bend community at 88.9 FM, offering students a chance to become involved in bringing classical music, fine arts and educational programming, and alternative rock to the airwaves. Another radio station, WVFI, began as a partner of WSND-FM. More recently, however, WVFI has been airing independently and is streamed on the Internet.[170] Begun as a one-page journal in September 1876,[171] the Scholastic magazine is issued twice monthly and claims to be the oldest continuous collegiate publication in the United States. The other magazine, The Juggler, is released twice a year and focuses on student literature and artwork.[168] The Dome yearbook is published annually. Finally, in Spring 2008 an undergraduate journal for political science research, Beyond Politics, made its debut.[172]

The first phase of Eddy Street Commons, a $215 million development located adjacent to the University of Notre Dame campus and funded by the university, broke ground on June 3, 2008.[173][174] The Eddy Street Commons drew union protests when workers hired by the City of South Bend to construct the public parking garage picketed the private work site after a contractor hired non-union workers.[175] The developer, Kite Realty out of Indianapolis, has made agreements with major national chains rather than local businesses, a move that has led to criticism from alumni and students.[176][177]

Notre Dame's conference affiliations for all of its sports except football and fencing changed in July 2013 as a result of major conference realignment, and its fencing affiliation will change in July 2014. The Irish left the Big East for the ACC during a prolonged period of instability in the Big East;[182][183] while they maintain their football independence, they have committed to play five games per season against ACC opponents.[184] In ice hockey, the Irish were forced to find a new conference home after the Big Ten Conference's decision to add the sport in 2013–14 led to a cascade of conference moves that culminated in the dissolution of the school's former hockey home, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, after the 2012–13 season. Notre Dame moved its hockey team to Hockey East.[181] After Notre Dame joined the ACC, the conference announced it would add fencing as a sponsored sport beginning in the 2014–15 school year.[185]

The Fighting Irish name was used in the early 1920s with respect to the football team and was popularized by alumnus Francis Wallace in his New York Daily News columns.[186] The official colors of Notre Dame are Navy Blue and Vegas Gold[187] which are worn in competition by its athletic teams. In addition, the color green is often worn because of the Fighting Irish nickname.[188] The Notre Dame Leprechaun is the mascot of the athletic teams. Created by Theodore W. Drake in 1964, the leprechaun was first used on the football pocket schedule and later on the football program covers. The leprechaun was featured on the cover of Time in November 1964 and gained national exposure.[189]

On July 1, 2014, the University of Notre Dame and Under Armour reached an agreement in which Under Armour will provide uniforms, apparel,equipment, and monetary compensation to Notre Dame for 10 years. This contract, worth almost $100 million dollars, is the most lucrative in the history of the NCAA.

The university marching band plays at home games for most of the sports. The band, which began in 1846 and has a claim as the oldest university band in continuous existence in the United States, was honored by the National Music Council as a "Landmark of American Music" during the United States Bicentennial.[190] The band regularly plays the school's fight song the Notre Dame Victory March, which was named as the most played and most famous fight song by Northern Illinois Professor William Studwell.[191] According to College Fight Songs: An Annotated Anthology published in 1998, the "Notre Dame Victory March" ranks as the greatest fight song of all time.[191]

According to some analysts without direct connection to the university or its athletic department, Notre Dame promotes Muscular Christianity through its athletic programs.[192][193] Neither the university nor its athletic department has ever commented on this assertion.

George Gipp was the school's legendary football player during 1916–20. He played semiprofessional baseball and smoked, drank, and gambled when not playing sports. He was also humble, generous to the needy, and a man of integrity.[206] It was in 1928 that famed coach Knute Rockne used his final conversation with the dying Gipp to inspire the Notre Dame team to beat the Army team and "win one for the Gipper." The 1940 film, Knute Rockne, All American, starred Pat O'Brien as Knute Rockne and Ronald Reagan as Gipp.

Today the team competes in Notre Dame Stadium, an 80,795-seat stadium on campus.[207] The current head coach is Brian Kelly, hired from the University of Cincinnati on December 11, 2009.[208] Kelly's record in three seasons at Notre Dame is 28–11.[209] He succeeded Charlie Weis, who was fired in November 2009 after five seasons.[210][211] Although Weis led his team to two Bowl Championship Seriesbowl games,[212] his overall record was 35–27,[213] mediocre by Notre Dame standards, and the 2007 team had the most losses in school history.[214] The football team generates enough revenue to operate independently while $22.1 million is retained from the team's profits for academic use. Forbes named the team as the most valuable in college football, worth a total of $101 million in 2007.[215]

During home games, activities occur all around campus and different dorms decorate their halls with a traditional item (e.g. Zahm House's two-story banner). Traditional activities begin at the stroke of midnight with the Drummers' Circle. This tradition involves the drum line of the Band of the Fighting Irish and ushers in the rest of the festivities that will continue the rest of the gameday Saturday. Later that day, the trumpet section will play the Notre Dame Victory March and the Notre Dame Alma Mater under the dome. The band entire will play a concert at the steps of Bond Hall, from where they will march into Notre Dame Stadium, leading fans and students alike across campus to the game.[216]

The men's basketball team has over 1,600 wins, one of only 12 schools who have reached that mark, and have appeared in 28 NCAA tournaments.[217] Former player Austin Carr holds the record for most points scored in a single game of the tournament with 61.[218] Although the team has never won the NCAA Tournament, they were named by the Helms Athletic Foundation as national champions twice.[217] The team has orchestrated a number of upsets of number one ranked teams, the most notable of which was ending UCLA's record 88-game winning streak in 1974.[219] The team has beaten an additional eight number-one teams, and those nine wins rank second, to UCLA's 10, all-time in wins against the top team.[217] The team plays in newly renovated Purcell Pavilion, which opened for the beginning of the 2009–2010 season,[220] The team is coached by Mike Brey, who, as of the 2011–12 season, his twelfth, has achieved a 259–130 record.[221] Just in 2009 they were invited to the NIT, where they advanced to the semifinals but were beaten by Penn State who went on and beat Baylor in the championship. The 2010–11 team concluded its regular season ranked number seven in the country, with a record of 25–5, Brey's fifth straight 20-win season, and a second place finish in the Big East. On March 14, 2015 the fighting Irish won the ACC championship for the first time.

Notre Dame has been successful in other sports besides football, with an additional 14 national championships in various sports. Three teams have won multiple national championships with the fencing team leading them with seven,[222] followed by the men's tennis and women's soccer teams each with two.[223][224] The men's cross country,[224] men's golf,[224] and women's basketball teams have each won one in their histories.[225]

In the first ten years that Notre Dame competed in the Big East Conference its teams won a total of 64 championships.[226] In 2006–07, Notre Dame's hockey team finished the regular season ranked #1.[citation needed] The women's swimming and diving team holds the Big East record for consecutive conference championships in any sport with 14 straight conference titles (1997–2010)."Notre Dame Claims 14th Consecutive BIG EAST Title" (Press release). University of Notre Dame Sports Information. Retrieved May 17, 2010.

The Band of the Fighting Irish is the oldest university band in continuous existence.[227] It was formed in 1846. The all-male Glee Club was formed in 1915.[228] The Internationally recognized "Notre Dame Folk Choir" was founded by Steven "Cookie" Warner in 1980.[229]

The "Notre Dame Victory March" is the fight song for the University of Notre Dame. It was written by two brothers who were Notre Dame graduates. The Rev. Michael J. Shea, a 1904 graduate, wrote the music, and his brother, John F. Shea, who earned degrees in 1906 and 1908, wrote the original lyrics. The lyrics were revised in the 1920s; it first appeared under the copyright of the University of Notre Dame in 1928. The chorus is, "Cheer cheer for old Notre Dame, wake up the echos cheering her name. Send a volley cheer on high, shake down the thunder from the sky! What though the odds be great or small, old Notre Dame will win over all. While her loyal sons are marching, onward to victory!"

The chorus of the song is one of the most recognizable collegiate fight songs in the United States, and was ranked first among fight songs by Northern Illinois University Professor William Studwell, who remarked it was "more borrowed, more famous and, frankly, you just hear it more".[191]

In the film Knute Rockne, All American, Knute Rockne (played by Pat O'Brien) delivers the famous "Win one for the Gipper" speech, at which point the background music swells with the "Notre Dame Victory March". George Gipp was played by Ronald Reagan, whose nickname "The Gipper" was derived from this role. This scene was parodied in the movie Airplane! with the same background music, only this time honoring George Zipp, one of Ted Striker's former comrades. The song also was prominent in the movie Rudy, with Sean Astin as Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles.

Notre Dame alumni number near 120,000,[230] and are members of 275 alumni clubs around the world.[231] Many alumni give yearly monetary support to the university, with a school-record 53.2% giving some donation in 2006.[232] Many buildings on campus are named for those whose donations allowed their building, including residence halls,[233][234] classroom buildings,[235] and the performing arts center.[47]

^The university's campus actually contains two lakes, but according to legend, when Sorin arrived at the site everything was frozen, so he thought there was only one lake and named the university accordingly. Cohen, Ed (Autumn 2004). "One lake or two?". The Notre Dame Magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2007-12-07.

^"U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2012 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2011 to FY 2012" (PDF). 2012 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers.

^Alister E. McGrath (2008). Christianity's Dangerous Idea. HarperOne. Retrieved August 1, 2011. Nor is sport a purely Protestant concern: Catholicism can equally well be said to promote muscular Christianity, at least to some extent, through the athletic programs of such leading schools as the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.